SERPENTARIUS, or Ophiuchus, in astronomy, a constellation
of the northern hemisphere, anciently named Aesculapius,
and mentioned by Eudoxus (4th century B.C.) and Aratus (3rd
century B.C.). According to the Greek fables it variously
represents: Carnabon (or Charnabon), king of the Getae, killing
one of the dragons of Triptolemus, or Heracles killing the serpent
at the river Sangarius (or Sagaris), or the physician Asclepius
(Aesculapius), to denote his skill in curing snake bites. Ptolemy
catalogued 29 stars, Tycho Brahe 15, and Hevelius 40. “New”
stars were observed in 1604 and 1848.